By Dickson Omobola
Chief Financial Officer of Aero Contractors, Mr Charles Grant, has raised concerns over unfriendly government policies hindering Nigerian airlines from achieving effective intra-African connectivity, despite sitting at the heart of West Africa.
Grant lamented that regional carriers like ASKY, Air Côte d’Ivoire and Ethiopian were expanding aggressively into the Nigerian market, saying by under-supporting the country’s carriers with multiple taxations, among others, regional growth has been outsourced to these airlines.
He spoke on the theme: ‘Strengthening collaboration for revenue optimisation and operational efficiency,’ at the recent Civil Aviation Cost Recovery and Revenue Optimisation Stakeholders’ Retreat in Lagos.
According to him, if Nigeria wants to lead in Africa’s aviation, there must be zero-rating aviation inputs, waivers must be enforced and fiscal drag that is stifling growth and eroding airlines’ competitiveness must be removed.
His words: “Nigeria sits at the heart of West Africa. We have the population, the location, the demand, but we are missing in action when it comes to intra-African connectivity.
Who is filling that gap? It is not Nigerian airlines, but regional carriers like ASKY, Air Côte d’Ivoire, and Ethiopian that are expanding aggressively into our market.
“Why? Because their governments have enabled them. Through funding, fleet support and strategic route development, they have built capacity to connect African cities—and they are thriving off Nigerian demand. We are not losing traffic, we are ceding market share. By under-supporting our own carriers, we have outsourced regional growth to others. That’s a strategic loss, not just a commercial one.
“We are not here asking for handouts. We are asking for policies that enable Nigerian aviation to thrive. Here are five priority actions we believe will make a real difference: reintroduce the VAT exemption that airlines previously enjoyed. This was never a loophole, it was a strategic lever to keep fares affordable and airlines viable.
“Enforce customs waivers consistently, especially for aircraft parts and AOG spares. Today, delays and inconsistent application are grounding aircraft that should be flying.
“Eliminate Tax-on-Tax Loops, where VAT is charged on ticket sales tax and other levies. This compounds costs and inflates fares without improving revenue.
“Streamline fiscal charges across tiers of government. The layering of federal, state, and airport authority charges needs harmonisation.
“Create a national aviation growth framework, a coordinated plan across ministries, NCAA, Customs and finance—to align aviation policy with industrial and economic goals.”
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